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May 27, 2008

It's been more than three years since I started cooking food. With a lot of experiments and trials, I can now say that I've become comfortable preparing a meal. But there is one thing which I couldn't master yet, even after several times of practice. It's the art of making perfect round chapathis (Indian bread). I tried kneading the dough using my hands as well as using a food processor. Once rolled, there was never an even distribution of the dough on all sides. I can whip out such unique shapes that kids can learn geometric figures just by looking at them - rectangles, squares, triangles, pentagons etc etc. You name the shape and I can make it for you except the elusive circle!

I tried harder and put more efforts but the focus shifted from Geometry to Geography. I rolled the dough and shapes of Kashmir started to appear. I rolled some more, extended it downwards and made it into a perfect map of India. I knew my husband doesn't really mind the shape as long as the chapathis are soft. But I cannot entertain any of my guests with such odd shaped chapathis. I tried more and in the end, I decided to give up. So what if it doesn't take a perfect round shape? Anyway, you are going to split it into smaller pieces before you eat. After quitting my efforts, I felt so much better. I was relieved from the pressures of sticking to the rules written by someone.

It was some man/woman in ancient times who invented chapathis and might have given the round shape to it. Now I'm changing the conventional habit and giving a whole new meaning and also adding a fun and educational component to the art of making chapathis. Am I not an innovator, I wonder!

Last night, while making my usual square shaped chapathis with not much thought given to shape, I observed that one of them turned out to be a perfect circle with even distribution of the dough. Wow, what an achievement! I smiled to myself but that was just one sample. The chapathis that followed suit were of my usual style, with new geometric figures coming to the forefront. Maybe, I should apply for a patent!

It's been more than a month since I rambled anything. It looks like "my nest" is infested with spider webs. It's about time to clear them up and fill my nest with so many events and changes that has happened. My PGSEM exams got over and I'm on weekend summer vacation. Yay! I can't believe one year has passed by so quickly. I plan to look back and write in detail about the first year as it might be informative to PGSEM aspirants and also to people who wonder what I do over weekends. At work, I shifted to a different group and it's been good so far in terms of understanding a different business domain.

Now, the biggest change! My hubby and I shifted out of the rented house and moved to our own apartment. This is the first time I shifted my house in Bangalore after six years. It's been very busy with preparations for the house warming ceremony, setting up the new home, getting rid of junk stuff and buying other essential things. I can seriously feel the "Monica" in me when it comes to cleaning, especially in the new home :-) With no TV connection, evenings are special and active. I get a lot of household chores done and I don't feel a tad tired. I have got back to my good old cooking habits. The feel of perusing over cook books is something special. "Change" can do wonders, I suppose! A new home, a new location, a new commute route, a new place to buy groceries (yes, it makes a difference!).